Audi A6 Achieves Top Mark in Euro NCAP Crash Test

The new Audi A6 achieved the best ever result for a business saloon car in the recent round of tests in the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). The Audi A6 achieved a score of 33.30 and was awarded a 5 star rating for vehicle safety, thus coming out on top in this intensely competitive segment.

Audi’s development engineers strive to provide comprehensive protection for the vehicle’s occupants. They pursue a strategy that combines accident avoidance with active and passive safety; the result is an all-encompassing safety concept.

The top priority in this overall approach is accident avoidance. Ultramodern high-performance brake systems with electronic brake assist, effective illumination of the road, ergonomic operation and fatigue-free driving with a good all-round view make a significant contribution to the safety of all road users.

An array of technical innovations boosts the passive safety of the new Audi A6: refined joining technologies, optimised profile patterns and tailor-made body panels all contribute towards the impressive strength of the passenger compartment. Defined deformation zones absorb the impact energy. In conjunction with the high-strength body and additional crash sensors directly behind the radiator grille, the front airbags and belt tensioners are rapidly able to achieve their full effect. The standard-fit Audi head airbag system sideguard covers the entire side window area and completes the all-round protection concept for the passenger compartment. Active head restraints increase protection for the driver and front passenger in the event of a rear-end collision.

The focus of all measures is placed on achieving as high a standard of protection as possible in actual accident situations. To this end, the Audi Accident Research Unit continually evaluates real-life accidents and incorporates the findings in its ongoing vehicle development activities.

Active safety systems in particular are making a massive difference: the latest accident research findings of the Volkswagen Group indicate that the number of accidents preceded by skidding is more than 70 percent lower for vehicles fitted with the electronic stabilisation program ESP. In other words, the risk of a rollover and of lateral impact has been reduced by more than half. This endorses AUDI AG’s approach of always considering active and passive vehicle safety in the wider context.